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2019 APME awards honor AP journalists for powerful stories

NEW YORK (AP) — Accounts of perseverance in the wake of disaster, deep investigative looks into cyber threats against American democracy, and images that highlighted the human side of controversial political issues are among the stories that have won the 2019 Associated Press Media Editors Awards for AP staff.

Dake Kang and Yanan Wang, both 25, were honored for excellence by staffers 30 years old or younger for work exposing the Chinese government’s reach into their citizens’ personal lives. Judges called their work “insightful — even shocking.”

Sharon Cohen, David Goldman and Mary Hudetz were recognized for stories about Native American women and children who disappeared or were killed on tribal lands. The judges called it “great writing, important topic, and remarkable reporting that resonated not just in Indian Country, but across the country.”

Christina Cassidy and Frank Bajak won for their investigative look at the vulnerable American voting system that judges called “aggressive watchdog journalism at a high level.”

The AP’s “mission is to inform the world — fairly, objectively and accurately,” said Thomas Koetting, deputy managing editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and coordinator of the contest. “The work in this year’s competition reflects that mission — and I would add two words: compassion and humanity. In a complex and sometimes inhumane world, AP journalists reached out to those who needed a voice and told stories that otherwise would have remained hidden.”

The annual competition honors the best work by AP staff in news, multimedia and photography and is open to employees in every U.S. state and 100 countries globally.

The judges are national board members of the Associated Press Media Editors, which is in the process of merging with the American Society of News Editors into the News Leaders Association.

Winners will be recognized at that organization’s national conference in New Orleans on Sept. 9-10.

At the heart of the conference: leadership and audience engagement/growing digital revenue. You'll go home with takeaways that can be incorporated into your work immediately, as well as new connections and tools to help your newsroom grow.

NewsTrain is coming to California, New York, Oregon and Nebraska in 2020

For just $75, you can up your digital game with highly rated training at an APME NewsTrain workshop in California, New York, Oregon or Nebraska in 2020.

Here are the locations and hosts for the workshops:

Fresno, California, hosted by California State University, Fresno;

Rochester, New York, hosted by the Democrat and Chronicle;

Eugene, Oregon, hosted by the University of Oregon; and

Lincoln, Nebraska, hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

To be notified when dates, agendas and trainers are set for these workshops, please provide an email at bit.ly/NewsTrain2020.

The sites were selected from applications by committees of local journalists throughout the United States and Canada. These successful committees will conduct an assessment of the needs in their newsrooms to determine which skills will be taught at the workshops.

Since 2003, Associated Press Media Editors (APME) has sponsored NewsTrain inserving more than 7,600 journalists at 93 workshops. It will achieve its 100th workshop in 2020, having brought its cutting-edge training to all 50 states and three Canadian provinces.

Oct. 25-26 in Albuquerque, hosted by the University of New Mexico in conjunction with the New Mexico Press Association Convention.

Attendees consistently rate its interactive sessions as 4.5, with 5 as highly effective and highly useful. Instructors are accomplished journalists with both frontline and teaching experience.

To apply to be a NewsTrain site in 2021, email NewsTrain Project Co-director Laura Sellers-Earl to get an alert when applications open in early 2020 at bit.ly/HostNewsTrain.

NewsTrain’s low tuition is made possible by donors, big and small, who have included The Associated Press, GateHouse Media LLC,APME past and present board members, and the APME, Newhouse and Gannett foundations.

The completion deadline for the ASNE Diversity Survey is July 1!

The American Society of News Editors calls on news organizations across the media spectrum to participate in this year's diversity survey, which incorporates revised design and data collection methodologies to better establish a quantitative view of the diversity status in America's newsrooms.

Why Diversity and Inclusion Matter

The purpose of the Newsroom Employment Diversity Survey, launched in 1978, is to document employment trends in U.S. print and online publications and help newsrooms reflect the growing diversity of their audiences. The survey measures progress toward ASNE's goal of having the percentage of minorities working in newsrooms nationwide equal to that of minorities in the nation's population by 2025.

Please take the time to complete the survey. Organizations that have not yet received a link to the survey should reach out to ASNE at diversityresearch@asne.org.

To view a PDF version of the 2019 Newsroom Employment Diversity Survey, click here.

Nominate a leader in diversity for the Robert G. McGruder Award for Diversity Leadership by Aug. 5

The News Leaders Association is seeking nominations for the next recipient of the Robert G. McGruder Award for Diversity Leadership, sponsored by the USA TODAY Network. We are looking for individuals or news organizations whose actions and work reflect a strong commitment to diversity in honor of the late Robert G. McGruder, a former Detroit Free Press executive editor and former managing editor of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland.

Nominees should be individuals or news organizations who have made a significant contribution to improving and promoting diversity for one or more years, both through retention and recruitment in their workplaces, as well as through news content.

The Robert G. McGruder Award for Diversity Leadership has been co-sponsored by the American Society of News Editors and the Associated Press Media Editors, which are now the News Leaders Association, and is also sponsored generously by the USA TODAY Network.*

This year's winner will be announced during the News Leaders Association Conference in New Orleans Sept. 9-10. The winner receives $2,500 and a leadership award.

Please submit your nominations by Aug. 5 to khardy@gannett.com. Submitted nominations should include the name of the individual or organization, a brief explanation of why they're being nominated and a headshot or photo of the individual/organization.

To see the full announcement about all of our Emerging Leaders Institutes, click here.

To see the full announcement about all of our Emerging Leaders Institutes,click here.

Make sure to follow News Leaders Association on social media so you don't miss out on ASNE-APME updates!

The News Leaders Association's new logo symbolizes the unity between two of the most significant organizations in the journalism industry. This is an exciting time and our new organization will continue to advocate for strong leadership, a diverse and inclusive workforce and defend against challenges to the First Amendment. You'll be seeing this new logo everywhere, so make sure to keep an eye out for it!

Our new logo will officially replace both the ASNE and APME logos as of September with the first-ever News Leaders Association conference, continuing on the ASNE-APME conference we have held previously for many years.

INDUSTRY NEWS

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EDITORS IN THE NEWS

AP names Michael Tackett deputy Washington bureau chief

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Associated Press on Tuesday named Michael Tackett, an award-winning journalist, as deputy bureau chief in Washington, directing coverage of the White House, Congress and politics.

The appointment was announced by Julie Pace, AP's chief of bureau in Washington.

"Mike cares deeply about asking the big questions about American politics and government, and telling the story of presidential campaigns not just from Washington, but from the places that ultimately decide elections," Pace said.

Tackett joins the AP from The New York Times, where he has worked as a political reporter and deputy Washington editor. He previously served as Bloomberg News' managing editor and Washington bureau chief, and as Washington bureau chief and political writer at the Chicago Tribune. He's covered six presidential campaigns.

A familiar face to the staff of The Messenger has been named the paper's editor. Jon Garrett, 49, a 21-year resident of Madisonville and the paper's former managing editor, is replacing Mike Alexieff, who has accepted a publisher position with a Paxton Media Group sister paper in Lebanon, Tennessee.

"Jon is a talented journalist with deep roots in Hopkins and Webster counties," said Rick Welch, publisher for The Messenger. "We are pleased to have Jon move into this leadership role as we continue our commitment to the printed newspaper and as we continue to expand and improve our digital products. I am confident both our employees and the community will quickly learn what a quality person they have in Jon."

Garrett rejoined the paper in January following time spent as media relations director for the former Trover Foundation and as general manager for a local golf course in Providence. He also was a former magistrate in Hopkins County.

IN MEMORIAM

Lew Klein forged an extraordinary career in the broadcast industry and gave back, donating generously and teaching several generations of students at Temple University.

Lew Klein, the television pioneer who spent more than six decades teaching at Temple University and mentored innumerable broadcast professionals throughout his career, died Wednesday, June 12. He was 91.

Klein was honored several times at Temple for his service to the university, his support of education in media and communication, and his extraordinary career, culminating with the university's School of Media and Communication being renamed the Lew Klein College of Media and Communication in March 2017.

"Lew Klein has left an indelible imprint on the lives of countless Temple students who have gone on to build successful careers in media, communication and related fields. Those graduates are Lew's true gift to journalism. His influence will be felt for generations to come," said Temple President Richard M. Englert.

Frank Barrows, a beloved former top editor of the Charlotte Observer whose journalism career took him from sports writing to leading the Carolinas’ largest newsroom, died Wednesday at his home in Charlotte. He was 72.

Barrows held many writing and editing jobs in his more than 30 years at the Observer. He left the paper in 2005 after 13 years as the newsroom’s managing editor, during which it was twice a finalist for Pulitzer prizes and scored hundreds of other awards.

Mark Ethridge, who preceded Barrows as managing editor, called him “one of the most brilliant editors and great writers who I ever knew.”

“He was a genius. He could conceptualize stories. Stories are about what happened to people, and he could understand the character arc of any story better than anybody I ever knew.”

'He was a hell of a newspaperman': Former Billings Gazette, Independent Record publisher dies at 93

BILLINGS -- George Remington lived his life the way he reported the news: with fairness while striving for the truth.

Remington died Tuesday at 93.

An accomplished journalist and publisher for the Independent Record and Billings Gazette among others, Remington was a man known for his friendliness, wry sense of humor and extensive knowledge from literature to politics.

He instilled an importance of remaining informed along with the value of written word in both his work and his family.

“When you have someone who is so involved and connected with what’s going on, it makes for some interesting table discussions,” George’s son David Remington said. “It wasn’t until we were older that we saw the true value in that.”

APME: Lead. Nurture. Innovate.

OUR VISION

We foster newsroom leaders. We empower journalists to succeed. We cultivate ideas that work.

OUR MEMBERS

The Associated Press Media Editors is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization of newsroom leaders and journalism educators that works closely with The Associated Press to promote journalism excellence. Anyone with senior responsibilities in an AP-affiliated organization, and any journalism educator or student media leader, is invited to join.

OUR MISSION

APME advances the principles and practices of responsible journalism. We support and mentor a diverse network of current and emerging newsroom leaders. We champion the First Amendment and promote freedom of information. We train journalists to realize their aspirations and thrive in a rapidly changing environment. We promote forward-looking ideas that benefit news organizations and the communities they serve. We work closely with the Associated Press, the largest independent media operation in the world.

APME FOUNDATION

The APME Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization established in 1988 to receive tax-exempt gifts to carry out educational projects for the advancement of journalism. Proceeds help support NewsTrain, a regional, low-cost training opportunity around the country and other practical education tools promoting the First Amendment, innovation and diversity in newsrooms.